


doldrums (to love is to sink)

by GeorginaSummers



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, But He Gets Better, Drama, Getting Back Together, Implied/Referenced Cheating, Jaehyun is an asshole, M/M, Multi, Post-Divorce, all of them sleep around cause why not, no beta we die like men, protect taeyong at all costs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-04
Updated: 2020-06-06
Packaged: 2021-03-03 18:48:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24540319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GeorginaSummers/pseuds/GeorginaSummers
Summary: Jaehyun's occasionally a good man, he volunteers, he donates and he cleans, but he's really wasn't that good of a husband. Ex-husband.When he runs into Taeyong at the Incheon International after three years, a lot has changed; Jaehyun has changed but what he didn't expect is for Taeyong to have changed too./or/ the post-divorce + Richkids!NCT fic where Jaehyun and Taeyong (mostly Jaehyun) needs to learn how to sort their shit out
Relationships: Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Lee Taeyong, Lee Taeyong/Suh Youngho | Johnny, Multiple Pairings - Relationship
Comments: 5
Kudos: 57





	1. the cliche first meeting

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! It's my first fic on ao3 and for NCT. This fic really began as a plot bunny and expanded into a fic. Jaehyun and Taeyong are generally happy, but they do seem to fit into the angsty relationship vibe as well. Or maybe it's just me being used to writing exo fanfiction... 
> 
> Anyways, the first few chapters really do have a lot of flashbacks to flesh out the characters and their storylines. Almost all of SM, and then some, will end up popping up in chapters here and there and it was really entertaining to think of titles for Jaehyun/Taeyong flashback scenes. 
> 
> Do leave a comment to let me know if you've enjoyed the story because tbh, i would rather read your comments than torture myself making dalgona coffee

“Yes Mummy, sure mummy,” Jaehyun uttered into his phone and sighed internally, “I will make an effort to show up for the appointment with her when I am free.” Jaehyun never understood his parents’ actions for the past three years. Wasn’t one failed marriage enough to emphasise that he wasn’t interested in being tied down? He downed the last of his champagne, thanked the friendly flight attendant who attended to him throughout the 11 hour flight and stalked down the aisle.

 _Sure_ , he was 50 percent ( _80 percent, a traitorous voice in his mind supplied_ ) responsible for the failure of his first marriage but that kind of shady fortune teller lady he met as a joke when he went to that really obscure circus back then did tell him that he would destined to have two marriages in his life. Then again, it was hard to shirk off any responsibility when the last words he said to his partner before their separation were along the lines of ‘I found someone more interesting, sign the divorce papers and we can both go on our merry ways”.

After his conversation with his mother, he had immediately fired off a quick email to his assistant, the young and arguably competent Donghyuck, to “accidentally” plan an “important” work meeting on the day he was supposed to meet with the daughter of Mr. Park’s brother-in-law’s sister-in-law. Lost in his train of thought, a soft “Jaehyun?” next to him shocked him out of his reverie. Looking towards the source of sound, he’s mentally thrown off his feet when he’s met with the package of soft brown eyes and fluffy pastel pink hair in an equally fluffy beige sweater.

“Taeyong?” Jaehyun whispered, still stupefied by the chances that he would meet his ex-husband at the Korean airport today out of all days. “It is you! What a surprise!” The elder said enthusiastically, petting him gently on the back while he remained unmoving. “Where did you come from?”

Realising that Taeyong was still talking to him, Jaehyun coughed a little to clear that spit that was suddenly stuck in the back of his throat. ‘France, for the annual meeting the company has with the vineyards.”

“Oh, it’s that time of the year again,” Taeyong said, visibly going through the months in his head, “I hope they’re still as welcoming as they’ve been.”

“Always, if by welcoming, you meant them filling my glass to the brim the second it’s empty.” Taeyong laughed, still a sweet melodious sound, but Jaehyun couldn’t help but note the difference. It’s similar to the laugh he had been privy to years ago but there was an additional layer to it he couldn’t quite place a finger on. Their separation had been on friendly at best, if friendly was him walking out on a stunned Taeyong sitting on their shared suede couch (the same colour as the other's sweater, thank you brain) and having Mrs. Lee slap him across the face two days later after declaring that Taeyong had decided to move to the United States.

They haven’t spoken in three years, mostly because one does not make small talk with your ex-husband when one is 55 (80) percent responsible for the marriage failing. Jaehyun took the opportunity to scan Taeyong properly from head to toe. Besides looking a tad thinner for Jaehyun’s liking and positively glowing, the elder remained unchanged. He still possessed his penchant for loud, dyed hair and their mutual love for fluffy sweaters. The American sun did wonders for Taeyong’s skin, because the elder used to avoid the sun like it was the bane of his existence. Gone was the pale skin that Jaehyun had the privilege to witness every morning.

“Hey hyung, what are you doing back in Korea?”

“Oh, we’re here for a friend’s wedding.”

“We?” Jaehyun asked under his breath, which was still heard by the other.

“Yup –” Taeyong broke off in the middle of his sentence to jump up and down and wave at someone “ – Oh! Youngho’s here.” Jaehyun couldn’t help but stare when the supposed ‘Youngho’ appeared in front of them. He had to admit, albeit grudgingly, that the dude was very handsome and very tall for an Asian.

“The first time I’m back in Korea in years and you leave me behind.” He said with a little nudge at Taeyong’s head.

“Wasn’t my fault you were flirting with the pretty flight attendant with the very deep cleavage.” The pink-haired male retorted, sticking his tongue out.

“I wasn’t!” Came the scandalised reply, “And who would this be? A friend of yours?” the man looked directly in Jaehyun’s direction.

“Oh that’s right! I forgot to introduce the two of you to each other. Johnny, meet Jaehyun. Jaehyun, Johnny.”

The two shook hands and Jaehyun resisted the urge to be really petty and squeeze Johnny’s hand harder than necessary, but he knew that he had no argument for that. He was just Taeyong’s _EX-husband_ after all. He couldn’t deny that the short interaction he witnessed between the two men in front of him and the level of comfort they exuded around each other left a sour taste in his mouth.

“Shall we go soon, I think the car is waiting for us outside? We still have to make a detour to Mark’s favourite candy store before we get to the apartment, or else that munchkin would be whiny for the rest of our day and god knows how long the cashier would need to scan everything on the list of candy he wants.” Johnny asked, tugging Taeyong’s luggage alongside his.

Taeyong casted a quick glance towards his watch and blanched at the time. He locked eyes with Jaehyun and waved goodbye before pulling Johnny towards the exit, as though as he was the one who noticed they were behind schedule. Jaehyun watched the scene with barely concealed mirth, ignoring the pang of emotions when he realised that Taeyong had said nothing about seeing him again. The admission pained him, but the pair did make a good couple; Johnny’s conventionally masculine looks and height paired well with Taeyong’s beauty. He had argued with his mind that Johnny was probably poor and could not support Taeyong when he had noticed the diamond-studded Corum watch that graced the taller’s wrist. A similar pair that adorned the pink-haired male’s wrist when he lifted his sweater sleeve to check the time. It made him think back and to his embarrassment, the most expensive thing he had ever bought for Taeyong was probably their wedding bands, which Taeyong had ironically paid half for.

 _Wait a minute_ , his train of thought ground to a halt ten minutes later when he was flipping through the newspaper on his iPad in the car; d _id Johnny say kid? Did Lee Taeyong have a fucking kid while he was in the United States for three years?_

* * *

He should probably tell the story from the top, Jaehyun thinks.

The East Sea Lees were an old family whose ancestor made his first pot of gold off a fishing business on famous East Sea. Somewhere down the line, they had been assigned as the sole provider of seafood into the royal palaces during the Joseon dynasty. The family had then expanded into supermarket operations and ascended onto the conglomerate path. In the past decade, following the consolidation of power through the marriage of their eldest son Lee Donghae and Lee Hyukjae of the Ilsan Lees, the East Sea Lees had managed to become the dominant supermarket player in the capital and most large cities within the Korean Peninsula. Lee Taeyong, sweet Lee Taeyong was the youngest born to overprotective parents and siblings.

The Jungs were a distinguished family, rumoured to have been descended from one of King Jeongjo’s nieces. Jaehyun had never been interested in his family’s history, but his father, the great Jung Yunho, had inherited his pharmaceutical business from his father, who had inherited it from his grandfather who had inherited it from… (you get the point). His pool of siblings had multiplied from two to five when his father married his stepfather and brought the Kims in. It was an interesting experience, especially when he and Junmyeon were often mistaken as biological siblings. It was perhaps more awkward for Jongin and Krystal, who had a two weeks fling in high school before Jongin found his one true love in the form of a pint-sized man with exceeding large eyes. 

Jaehyun and Taeyong first met when he was eighteen, bound to meet when their families ran in the same circles. Taeyong had offered to share his plate of patisseries when the younger had crept up behind him at the Park-Byun wedding. A chance encounter had evolved into a quick friendship and the pair soon became as thick as thieves. Their friends and families would claim that their marriage announcement wasn’t a surprise, but both Taeyong and him knew that their marriage began as a marriage of convenience.

To have gotten married at twenty-one was largely to get his parents off his back with their incessant nagging about settling down and it somehow suited Taeyong’s pursuit of a great love and need to belong. To be divorced at the edge of twenty-three was freeing and everything he thought he wanted with Doyoung tangled in the sheets next to him. To be divorced from Lee Taeyong at the edge of twenty-three was something he never thought he would regret three years down the road.

* * *

**_Jaehyun and Taeyong, eighteen and twenty_ **

_When Jaehyun first met Taeyong, he was eighteen going on nineteen : still a teenager and very much rebellious. Which was the exact reason why he had snuck away from the wedding reception once the ceremony was over. The Park-Byun wedding was a sight to behold but that was a given, considering the amount of money that was spent just on Baekhyun's hair. The Parks and Byuns were prominent families in their own right, but Jaehyun had limited interactions with Park Chanyeol and Byun Baekhyun, that friendship was more reserved for his elder brothers Kim Junmyeon, Jongdae and Jongin._

_May was a great time to hold an outdoor wedding reception, the chance of rain was minute and the heat wasn’t as overbearing as in the summer. Said wedding had been held in a very nice church overlooking a large garden, but Jaehyun had not been interested in it. His appearance at the wedding was simply a result of the family’s need to maintain social appearances. He had bolted out in search of the trees and flowers the moment the ceremony had ended._

_He spotted a lone figure sitting on the benches out of public sight. The figure’s blond hair was the first thing Jaehyun noticed, the colour a rarity for anyone on the guest list for an event of this caliber. The man was in a nice suit, pink but pale enough to not come off as obnoxious. He crept up on the other male, cheap enjoyment coursing through his veins when the other jumped at his voice. “Hello,” momentarily stunned when the other turned around, “what are you doing here alone so far from the party?”_

_Visibly stunned for words, and completely surprised at being talked to so far from the party, the other male could only stare at Jaehyun with an open mouth. Jaehyun chuckled at the sight. He gestured towards the bench next to the man and sat down when the other nodded his approval. He looked down at the plate of patisseries that the other had in front of him, a mixture of increasingly sweet treats._

_“I’m sorry, who would you be again?” The blond asked, eyes still wide, clearly not expecting to be disturbed by anyone._

_“Jaehyun, Jung Jaehyun. Nice to meet you” He introduced himself, failing to recognise how out of character he was being. Most of Korea had known him as the slightly socially inept child of Jung Yunho and by how the other male’s eyes had managed to widen further, he probably had that impression as well._

_“Lee Taeyong. Nice to meet you too Jaehyun-ssi”_

_“Ah, I should have sneaked off to the caterers and plundered a plate of snacks before running off as well.”_

_“I did not steal from the caterers!” Came the scandalised reply. “Seulgi-noona is a close friend.”_

_“Of course of course, I won’t tell anyone if you offer some of those macarons.” When Jessica called him to return to the crowd for photos, he had pulled Taeyong along. If the two of them were standing closer than normal for individuals who were acquainted barely an hour ago, it was no one’s business._


	2. kind of a get-over-your-ex-husband-who-admitted-he-was-bored-of-you trip

“So that was the legendary Jaehyun?” Johnny asked the moment they entered the town car. Having spent three years rooming with Taeyong, he was more than aware of the waves of anxiety rolling off the smaller male when he was standing next to Jaehyun at the airport. 

“He’s not legendary.” Taeyong rolled his eyes at the elder.

* * *

They had originally met through a mutual friend Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul, or Ten as he liked to be called. Ten and Johnny were in their on-off friends with benefits arrangement and Taeyong was in search of a roommate. His eldest brother Donghae had claimed that one of his most fatal character flaws was the inability to be alone for extended durations. It was likely that it was due to his overbearing and overprotective family crowding around him since his birth. 

Ten had then introduced the two of them to each other over drinks at some high-end bar on the 68th floor of some hotel. All he had said was “Taeyong, Johnny. Johnny, Taeyong. Taeyong sweetie, order a drink and we’ll be back in fifteen minutes,” before grabbing Johnny by the arms and disappearing for said amount of time. When the pair had returned, their faces were visibly flushed even under the dim lights of the bar. The smug smile on Ten’s face as he deposited Johnny next to Taeyong on the couch. He had then crawled away to the bar and came back with a tray of drinks that came with its own warning note. 

“The two of you will get well together, one escaping New York and the other escaping Korea.”

“I am not escaping Korea! I’m just on vacation.” 

“Sure Jan, tell that to your mother who keeps calling my mother” Ten said over the rim of his cocktail glass. 

“Who’s Jan’?” Taeyong whispered to Johnny, the latter gave a small chuckle and told him to forget trying to understand Ten’s lingo. Taeyong and Ten had first met when the Thai had travelled to Korea. He was a sort of a family friend, considering both of their families had dealings with one another. Ten’s mother was the Thai-Korean ambassador and an old acquaintance of Mrs Lee, which was why both mother and child had once stayed with the Lees on their trip to Korea. 

Half an hour later, after making ample conversation with Johnny Suh and after Ten had disappeared for the nth time in the night, the bartender had approached their table with a two glasses of drinks.“On the house,” the bartender had set the drinks on the table and introduced himself as Yuta Nakamoto to Taeyong, “it’s been a slow night and any friend of Johnny and Ten is a friend of mine. Do drop by when you have the time, your company will be so much better than these two losers. Oh! And before you wonder where Ten went, he told me to tell you that he’ll see the both of you at breakfast tomorrow.”

“Didn’t he just get you off not an hour ago?” Taeyong quizzically asked over the glass of whiskey Yuta had brought over, savouring the smokiness and the lightest hint of peaches. 

“Ten doesn’t like getting off, he just likes making others happy.” Johnny shrugged, acting as though that was supposed to be the answer to every Ten-related question in the world. 

He and Johnny had hit it off there and then and that was kind of their origin story, besides ending up sharing a four-bedroom apartment that occasionally housed Yuta and Ten. When both Yuta and Ten had screamed the same “And they were roommates!” at the top of their lungs when Johnny had announced their shared ownership of the apartment, the tallest in their small group had whispered in his ear, “Oh my god, they were roommates”.

Taeyong’s delightedly amused, this felt less like a get-over-your-ex-husband-who-admitted-he-was-bored-of-you trip and feeling more like a true vacation. His noona has always told him that his intense need to belong would be his undoing one day.

* * *

If he had stopped his questioning there then the other male wouldn’t be Johnny Suh, Taeyong believed. Johnny had heard many things about Jaehyun during their three years as roommates. Despite all the restraints he had put into place, Taeyong found that he was unable to not bring up Jaehyun, especially in his first year abroad. 

The first time he had cooked dinner for him and Johnny in their new apartment, the latter had complemented his cooking skills while spooning scoops of dishes onto his plate. When he had noticed the lack of fish cake in what was supposed to be tteokbokki, the younger male had just replied that it was how Jaehyun liked the dish. Taeyong stood rock solid for five seconds before his words registered and wordlessly turned on his heels back into the kitchen to reappear minutes later with a plate of fish cakes which he unceremoniously dumped into the boiling pot of red stew. 

Similar incidences included: on three consecutive mornings, “Jaehyun takes his coffee with a splash of almond milk and two sugars”, a mumbled “We’ve always had brown sugar in the house cause it was healthier”, seven instances of ‘Jaehyun introduced it to me’ and Ten’s personal favourite passing comment when he mentioned an overly attached hook-up “Jaehyun used to say he liked me too, look at where we are now”.

Jaehyun was a constant passing topic, it seemed that Ten had known and met the man personally, based on how he acted whenever the ex-husband was brought up. Ten had decided that the English language did not contain the necessary words to describe the man and had resorted to cursing out said man in a weird mixture of Thai and Korean. Yuta had “kindly” supplied a few less than kind Japanese vocabulary when he was finally brought up to speed. Between being unemployed and alone (because Johnny had his own photography company to disappear to) meant that he spent the majority of his day either on Masterclass or looping through culinary videos on YouTube and volunteering at the children shelter. Taeyong enjoyed the company of their small group and their weekly gatherings at Yuta’s bar. Between constantly bringing Jaehyun up in most of his conversation and crawling into Johnny’s bed in the middle of the night, Johnny had grown to become one of his closer confidant. 

Which was why he shouldn’t have been surprised at the next thing that came out of Johnny’s mouth. “He’s a very handsome man, you still wanna be with him?” 

Taeyong’s mouth dropped open at the statement, “Are you serious?” It’s like he has never ever shared his love tragedy with the taller man. 

“Just a yes or now question, Tae” Johnny kept his eyes strained on the other male. 

Under those intense eyes, Taeyong could only turn his gaze towards the passing Korean scenery. 

“Yes.” He said, as his breath fogged up the window. 

* * *

_**Johnny and Taeyong, What Happened in America I** _

_The first time Taeyong and Johnny had been on the same bed was when they decided that the only way to get the perfect mattress was for them to try it out at the showroom. Once the salesperson glanced at the pair and formed the impression that they were a couple in her head, she had led them to one of the more expensive mattresses hidden at the back of the showroom._

_“We’ve gotten good reviews for this model. Most newlyweds tell us that the mattress helps to cushion the back even during the most intense of their sessions. I’m sure a young and active couple such as yourselves would appreciate something like that?”_

_Taeyong and Johnny had exchanged a quick look before bursting out in laugher._

_“I’m sure.” Johnny snickered, before bouncing onto the mattress. “Oh? This actually feels really good. Come try it out as well Tae,” he pulled Taeyong onto the mattress, which led to them lying on the mattress with the saleswoman standing awkwardly at the corner staring down at them._

_Having heard the appreciative sounds (read: moaning) Johnny were making, feeling up the mattress, Taeyong turned to the blushing woman and passed her his credit card. Poor woman, he thought, having to endure Johnny’s weird noises._

_The next time it happened, Taeyong could put the blame on the rolling thunders outside their apartment. Growing up, he was never the biggest fan of both the thunder and lightning. Sleeping alone in his bedroom on the second floor back in Korea was much better than his bedroom on the 25th floor. He was much closer to the lightning now. Which was why he wasn’t surprised that he was shuffling down the corridor with his phone gripped tightly in his hands to knock on Johnny’s door the moment the next clap of thunder was heard._

_Johnny always slept with his room door left ajar, due to his bad habit of kicking the door closed when he entered but never ensuring that it was properly closed. Taeyong crept into the room, manoeuvring past two pairs of jeans, two bags, a basketball and one full tuxedo haphazardly strewn around the room. For someone who looked as put together as Johnny, the man was truly a mess behind closed doors. The moonlight streaming in from the large windows illuminated another t-shirt thrown across the bedside lamp next to Johnny’s sleeping figure and Taeyong made a mental note to educate Johnny on the uses of a laundry basket the next day._

_He crawled under the heavy duvet till he was next to the sleeping man and felt said man stir awake._

_“Taeyong?” He heard Johnny ask, voice much deeper with sleep lacing it._

_“Couldn’t sleep with the thunderstorm out there. Used to have Jaehyun next to me when this happened.”_

_“Must you bring up another man when you’re in my bed?” Taeyong was truly afraid that he might have offended Johnny by bringing up Jaehyun when he heard a soft chuckle and felt an arm wrap around his middle. “I’m just joking, go to sleep Tyongie, I want omelette for breakfast tomorrow.”_

_It became a common occurrence; climbing into Johnny’s bed whenever there was a thunderstorm, the only exception was when Johnny had one of his ‘friends’ over. It’s funny, Taeyong thought, how he had never been any man’s priority outside of his family._

* * *

  
**_Taeyong and Jaehyun, twenty-one and nineteen_ **

_For Taeyong, Christmas that year was one of the more memorable occasions in their passing relationship. Following their first encounter at the Park-Byun wedding, the pair had hit it off exceeding well. Jaehyun had grabbed his phone before they went their separate ways and added his contact. Ten minutes after, Taeyong had received a new notification inviting him out for dinner._

_Contrary to popular belief, and his looks, Taeyong had never dated anyone seriously before. Of course, that number drops to nil if you scrutinise the non-serious relationships. He has been on many dates though, considering having lunch or dinner, going to the movies or even taking a walk down the park could be considered a date. Those dates ended well but they’ve never gone past a “I think you’re really great, but I don’t think we will make a good match” text._

_He and Jaehyun hung out mostly as friends. They went for Korean barbecue together, watched the newest Avenger films together, volunteered at the orphanage together, heck, they’ve even took care of one of Taeyong’s baby cousins together for half a day. However, neither had wished to bring up the elephant in the room. And Taeyong wasn’t blind, deaf or detached from society. He knew that while Jaehyun wasn’t a social butterfly, he had his group of friends who went out most nights to bars and clubs. He had also overheard his cousins gossiping about stuff they’ve read about the younger and his latest conquest on some gossip websites. He couldn’t really piece the Jaehyun he knew personally and the Jaehyun he heard and read together and he wondered hard, which one was the real Jung Jaehyun._

_But back to the Christmas at hand. Taeyong’s twenty first Christmas was special to him because unlike the previous twenty Christmases he celebrated being surrounded by family and friends, Jaehyun had ‘kidnapped’ him at 4am on Christmas day and drove them both to the nearest beach. It was a surreal experience to watch the sun rays break on the calm sea while sharing a blanket and a cup of hot coffee (splash of almond milk and two sugars) with Jaehyun’s hand around his waist._

_“Merry Christmas, hyung.” The cold sea breeze bit his cheek and sent chills down his spine when it blew harder. Yet, the small warmth of Jaehyun’s lips against his cheek as he wished him Merry Christmas warmed up his entire being better than the coffee in his hands._

_Taeyong stood up, placing the cup of coffee on the hood of the car and moving himself to stand in between Jaehyun’s thighs. “Say, Jaehyunnie. Would you like to date this hyung?”_

_“I thought you would never ask.” the younger’s arms tightened around his waist, placing another kiss on his nose._

_Both his Donghae and Hyukjae hyungs wolf-whistled from the stairs when he entered through the front door at 9am. Taeyong’s blush deepened from the light pink that tinged his cheeks after being kissed by Jaehyun. When his parents asked him what was the best Christmas present he received that year, he would claim that it was the all-you-can-eat desserts bar coupon that Taeil had sent over but in his chest, he knew that it wasn’t the right answer._


	3. a greater something out there

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realised that the switching of povs might be confusing for some. An easy way to notice who's pov it is in the flashback scenes for Jaehyun/Taeyong would be to see whose name comes first. 
> 
> So Jaehyun and Taeyong : twenty and twenty-two in this chapter would mean that it's Jaehyun's pov and it happened when they were twenty and twenty-two years old respectively.
> 
> I hope this clears up some confusion and that y'all are enjoying the story so far!

Jaehyun thought that It was either by some sick, sick coincidence or some divine prank that the driver needed to go the long way home due to the traffic. The problem with taking the longer way home meant that he had to drive past Hannam-dong. Following their break up and Taeyong’s disappearance to the States, Jaehyun had needed to send the papers to Mrs.Lee. Even now, he could feel the strength beside the slap Mrs Lee had landed on his cheek when he delivered the papers personally. He probably deserved that (No shit, Sherlock. His traitorous brain supplied again) and more considering he had promised to take care of her youngest child when they got married. Now, he wouldn’t have had a problem with the district if it wasn’t home to his previous apartment with Taeyong. Jaehyun had moved out of the house and into his own apartment and their shared house remained unlived for the past three years. He had withdrawn his name on the deed, leaving the sole ownership of the house to Taeyong should the man ever want it and the housekeeping team that cleaned up once a month was on his payroll.

After spending ten minutes of the car ride back to Seoul wondering if Taeyong had managed to come back with a child, Jaehyun had called up one of the more frequent contacts on his phone.

“Jaehyunnie? What a surprise, you seldom call at this hour,” The soft voice called out “Are you back from France already?”

“Hello Junmyeon-hyung. Yes, the meeting with the French went well. I’ll call for a meeting when I’m back in the office to deliver a more in-depth report.”

“Thanks for going to France on my behalf but why do I get the feeling this is more than a normal ‘Hi hyung I'm back’ kind of call?”

“Cause you’re smart?" Jaehyun paused for two heartbeats, "Hyung, I need your help with a background check on someone. He’s Korean but he seems to have lived most of his life in the United States.”

Junmyeon audibly sighed on the other end of the line, “Is this related to Taeyong?”

“How did you know?”

“Private jets travel fast but Korean high society gossip travels faster. I’ll do It for you.”

“Thanks hyung, you’re the best. I’ll drop you his name in a text soon.”

Junmyeon hummed and Jaehyun heard furious typing In the background. “I’ll see you tonight back at the house then hyung. I’ve brought back some of your favourite grape juice and father’s beloved wine.”

“I know bribery when I hear it, Jae. Are you sure you want me to do this? You literally signed away the rights to be out of Taeyong’s life three years ago.”

“I don’t know, hyung, I don’t think I’ll ever know.”

* * *

Kim Junmyeon was scarily efficient. As the managing director of Kim Distributors, he really had more important things on his to-do-list than to run a full background check on a random guy from America. Yet, he had sent out three different emails to three of his best private investigators and had offered to pay extra for speedier results. _The things he did for his younger brothers._

Junmyeon was aware of Taeyong’s return to the Republic of Korea. His Kakao was flooded with images of Jaehyun and his ex-brother-in-law standing next to one another and conversing the moment it happened. The couple’s marriage failing had always been unfortunate in Junmyeon’s eyes. Taeyong was a good kid, well-mannered, soft-spoken but stubborn when he needed to be, more socially-adept than his youngest brother but changed his hair colour too often.

His heart tightened for a second when the heavy mahogany doors of his office slammed into the wall to reveal Jongin and his distraught secretary behind him. “Hyung! I need a favour!” Junmyeon could only sigh and massage his temples, having felt the onset of a headache.

Let it never be said that he didn’t dote on his younger brothers.

* * *

**_Jaehyun and Taeyong, twenty and twenty-two_ **

_In Jaehyun’s memory, one of the best things that happened to him when he was twenty was pulling a disappearing act and jetting off to Japan with Taeyong beside him for a week. Twenty years-old Jaehyun had watched too many Netflix dramas, too many movies and had far too big a sense of ‘there’s something greater out there’ to be tied down by working at Jung Pharmaceuticals. Being the youngest of his family, he had been awarded most of the freedom his siblings were not able to enjoy. His father was too engrossed In the company, always trying to find the next big cure for humanity. His sisters were far too busy running their fashion empire and jumping from one fashion capital to another. His mother was too busy grooming his half-sisters from her newest marriage and setting him up on too many blind dates to be truly concerned about his well-being. Jaejoong and him had established a small system of not interfering much with each other’s business. Junmyeon, Jongdae and Jongin were far too engrossed in their own professional and personal lives to be bothered with his lack of it._

_And so he leeched onto the attention Taeyong gave to him. Taeyong did not lack attention or love from his overbearing family and he loved to turn that overflowing amount of love and attention outwards. Taeyong was there when he needed someone to have lunch with, he was there when his friends were all too busy to have dinner with him, Taeyong was there when he needed someone to be next to him while watching a horror movie and the elder was there when the nights were cold and his sheets colder._ _It felt wrong, even though they’ve established their relationship, but he couldn’t find it in himself to stop. Taeyong was always showering him with love and attention but most importantly, Taeyong was always there._

_For all the wealth the Lees seemed to possess, the elder had apparently not visited Japan for more than a two-days business trip. Jaehyun had took it upon himself to guarantee them the most touristy experience they could get in a week. Their days were cool, the Japanese breeze caressed their cheeks and carried their shared laughter. The gentle morning sun rays bounced off the lightly coloured bricks and reflected themselves as a glow in the the elder’s eyes. He was a sight to behold and when Jaehyun had snapped a picture of him under the hanging branches of wisterias with the soft morning sun illuminating his figure, he had sucked a breath out of the younger._ _With Taeyong’s smaller hand gripped tightly in his, the pair voyaged down streets, hopped from one café to another and endured the squeals from teenaged girls._

_Their days were cool and their nights were warm._ _Warm, not because of the in-room hot springs the pair found themselves in every evening or from the heat of a mouth wrapped around his member, but from the body heat the softly snoring elder emitted as they were wrapped around each other on the futon._

_With one arm cushioning the other male’s head and the other thrown around his waist, it was remarkably easier for Jaehyun to breath; simply because it was easier to pretend that he wasn’t **using** the other man’s attention when there weren’t anyone else to see it. When it was only the two of them, it was easier to learn how to love Taeyong. _

* * *

Dinner that night with his family at his parents’ ended with a pat on his back from Yunho. It was one of the rare occasions that most of the Jung-Kim clan were in Korea at the same time. Which presented itself as an opportunity for Jaejoong’s mother hen tendencies to materialize. The dining table was filled with each of their favourite foods and the wine that Jaehyun had brought back from France allowed for conversation to flow. He pretended he didn't notice the looks his siblings were throwing in his direction but heaved a sigh of relief when none of them brought up any Taeyong-related conversation at the dinner table. 

Junmyeon had caught him at the bar post-crème brûlée pouring himself more whiskey than the usual two fingers. “Krystal said I would find you here.” Jaehyun had snorted at that, he had caught Krystal here minutes ago making her own drink while swearing into the phone. 

The well-dressed man crossed the threshold into the room and Jaehyun noticed that his eldest brother was still dressed in his jacket (a deep maroon three-piece suit that did nothing to hide his figure) despite staying in that very house. Junmyeon made his way to the chiller, plucked a bottle of grape juice and filled a glass to the brim before making his way to seat on the sofa opposite of Jaehyun. 

“I’ve always been impressed by the fact that you don’t touch a drop of alcohol even after taking over dad’s wine distributing business.”

“Drinking as much as you do isn’t good for the body.”

“Working out as much as you do isn’t good for the body.” Came the petty retort.

“I guess you don’t want this then?” Junmyeon waved a black folder in front of him. Jaehyun was instantly interested in the folder, setting his drink down on the table with the resounding clink of crystal meeting glass and made grabby hands towards the folder.

“Damn hyung, you’re as efficient as ever.”

“I paid extra.” Junmyeon deadpanned.

Silence overtook the room and for the moment, the only sound that could be heard was the aggressive ruffling of papers as Jaehyun digested the information with keen interest. The background check on one Suh Youngho was detailed and full of information spanning from the his great-grandfather’s oil firm to his photography studio on the second level of a building in Tribeca. Yet, as detailed as the information was, there was one crucial section missing.

“Wait, where’s the part about him and Taeyong?” He looked up from the folder and at Junmyeon who was still taking small sips from his glass of juice.

“That would require at least two more days and a lot more money.”

“Taeyong said they were here to attend a wedding. I wonder whose wedding he was talking about?”

“Isn’t Taeil’s wedding the following weekend?” Jaehyun’s eyes lit up at that, Taeil’s wedding had totally slipped his mind. Of course Taeyong would return to Korea for the wedding of his childhood friend, it would be a grave offence to miss it. Since he had his own invitation to the wedding, it meant that there was no doubt that he would be running into the elder soon.

Junmyeon stood up without notice and stretched, “Ah, it’s been a long day, a hot soak would be very, very nice. I’ll pass you the information you want when I get it.” He sauntered towards the exit and turned around to send Jaehyun an unexplainable look.

His phone rang out to signal a message moments later. It read,

_I'm billing you for half the background check and you might want to download Instagram, it might not have all the answers you want, but it's better than paying thousands of USD to private investigators. I mean, everything is on SNS nowadays and it's FREE. FREE, Jae, FREE_

* * *

**_Taeyong and Jaehyun, twenty-two and twenty_ **

_Having Jaehyun next to him on his first trip to Japan in the twenty-two years of his existence took up another ‘best experiences ever’ slot in both his mind and his heart. Taeyong adored spending time with the younger, be it having meals with him, brewing coffee and preparing breakfast in the morning or shuffling his way into the younger’s embrace while he was having a midnight gaming session with his friends. Having a whole week of the taller male to himself brought him immeasurable joy._

_Jaehyun showed him plenty of sights in that week. That ride from their inn to Byodo-in just to see wisterias in bloom was made worth it when the younger had pulled out one side of his airpods and offered it to him. Taeyong had known that it was impossible, but he still made the wish for time to stand still at the Phoenix Hall. He opened his eyes a little and sneaked a glance to the younger standing next to him, quickly squinting his eyes shut when he saw that Jaehyun was staring straight at him instead of making a wish. Jaehyun’s laughter rung in his ears, accompanied the rustling of the nearby leaves and the chatter of nearby tourists._

_They didn’t spend all their nights in their in-room hot springs or tangled up with each other in the sheets. Kyoto had the nightlife Jaehyun had promised to show him. One of the few promises he delivered. His favourite had been the two of them strolling down the Kamo Riverside, both holding a soft-serve in one hand and each other in the other._

_“Are you having fun, hyung?” Jaehyun had asked when they reached the end of the walkway._

_“The most.”_

_Taeyong eyes swept across the various pairs of couples dispersed around them, focusing on the couple who were lost in each other’s eyes. Taeyong quickly darted his eyes away, afraid of being caught staring at such an intimate moment. He tugged on Jaehyun’s sleeve and stared into the younger’s eyes when he turned around. He didn’t know what to feel when Jaehyun wasn’t able to keep eye contact with him for more than three seconds and he wasn't able to stop his heart from dropping._


End file.
